EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Vol. Xll. No. 1. 



An interesting step looking to the advancement of agriculture in 

 the Russian Empire has recently been taken, on the recommendation 

 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Imperial Estates, in the inaugura- 

 tion of a system of conmiissioners of agriculture to preside over the 

 agricultural affairs in their respective provinces or governments, and 

 to seek to promote and improve the agricultural conditions in general. 

 Provision has l)een made for such commissioners in 20 different gov- 

 ernments of the Empire, and the appropriation for their maintenance 

 became available with the beginning of the present yeav. These com- 

 missioners will correspond in a general way to our State commissioners 

 of agriculture or secretaries of State boards of agriculture. They will 

 have charge of all public measures relating to agriculture and rural 

 affairs, and will exercise supervision over all local agricultural insti- 

 tutions maintained by the government. They will inquire into the 

 agricultural needs of their respective governments, and will recom- 

 mend government aid for such local or private enterprises as merit 

 special encouragement. 



The commissioners will likewise be charged with the administration 

 of the system of government loans on agricultural improvements and 

 bounties for the encouragement of farm industries. They are expected 

 to take an actiAC part in provincial and municipal agricultural meet- 

 ings, and to maintain close relations with all societies and conventions 

 of agriculturists. 



Connected with the commissioners' offices will be corps of agricul- 

 tural specialists and instructors, who will be assigned to the work by 

 the Ministry of Agriculture and Imperial Estates. They will go out 

 among the landowners and peasants for the purpose of collecting 

 data regarding the actual conditions of various branches of agricul- 

 ture, to diffiise general information on agricultural topics, and endeavor 

 to improve the methods and practices in vogue. At the request of 

 farmers they will visit their farms to give expert advice on questions 

 of management, and they will take active measures for the repression 

 of insects, injurious animals, and plant diseases. 



The Ministry of Agricultui-e will cooperate with these various 

 agencies by the issue of manuals and other publications, and the com- 



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